The Odd Lunch
by SchizoidSarah
Summary: A furry friend visits the fellowship over lunch. Cutesy-wootsy, so be warned! He he.


Title: The More the Merrier

Author: Schizoid Sarah

Pairing: The Hobbits

Rating: G

Warnings: None

A/N: Feedback/Archiving questions or comments: send to 

Summary: A goofy lunch with a visit from a furry friend.

It was a fine afternoon and the sun was hanging low in the west. The Fellowship had been traipsing through the fields and forests of the wild all day, which was enough to make any hobbit hungry. Under an oversized tree, they sat down and ate dinner.

"If that's what you want to call it," Pippin retorted, stomach still grumbling for more.

"Seeing as we're a long way from anywhere," Aragorn started, "we'd best be rationing our food."

Pippin just unsatisfactorily grunted and went to lie in the tall grass.

It had been decided to camp near the tree for the night. Everyone went out to look around, except, of course for the four small hobbits who stayed near the large tree. Frodo and Sam had found interest in a small brook that drizzled through the dry field, whilst Merri and Pippin stayed under the tree. The sun began to dip into the horizon and the two lay on the ground, gazing lazily at the heavens above.

"Hey Merri?"

"What, Pip?"

"I'm hungry."

"Me too."

A noise rustled in the nearby bush.

"Hey Pip?"

"Yeah Merri?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah. It came from the packs."

"Think we should check it out?"

"Yeah."

Merri and Pip, as quietly as hobbits can, got up and slunk over to the noise's origin. Behind the short bush, a pack lay open. Merri and Pip gave one another a curious glance. Their eyes flung back to the pack when another rustle came from it. Suddenly a fluffy orange tail came out, followed by some rear legs. The butt and tail sat down, and the rustling continued. Merri picked up a long branch and eased it close to the furry thing. He poked it and the two jumped back some when out popped the creature. It was fluffy and orange, about a foot and a half long from tail to head, which had long white whiskers and pointed ears.

"Meow?"

Pip and Merri stared in wonder. They'd never seen such a beast. It took a step closer and the hobbits backed up.

Pip's stomach growled. "Do you think... we could eat it?"

Merri gawked at the fluff ball in front of him. He went to poke it again with the stick, but it just batted at it with it's front paw, cocking it's head to one side, fully attentive. Merri set down the stick and gazed curiously at it.

"What is that?" Sam walked up behind the two hobbits. "I've never seen such a thing! All that fur!" He sat down between Merri and Pip.

"Do you think we could... eat it?" Pip said, looking hopefully at Sam.

"I think we should show it to the others first. It might be poisonous, or something," Sam said, gaping at it. It had sat down and was now looking between the three hobbits. It looked up and behind them. Sam turned and saw Frodo walking towards them.

"What the devil is that?" Frodo nearly dropped his basket of mushrooms and berries as he crept up to the other hobbits. "I've never seen anything like it in all my days in the Shire. Is it dangerous?"

"Is it edible?" Pip said, hope in his voice.

"Whatever it is, it makes funny noises." Merri said, peeling his eyes off the animal and glancing to Frodo.

"Meow," the animal repeated.

Frodo and Sam nearly jumped back at the small sound. The four hobbits sat and stared at it and each other until the others returned. By then the creature had gone back to the pack and was pawing at things that had fallen out. Legolas walked up behind the curious four.

"What are we looking at?" Legolas asked, slightly bemused at the four hobbits crouched in the grass.

"Watching dinner," Pip said, keeping his gaze.

Gimli walked up to the group gathered around the packs.

"Ah, young masters, what have you found? A trespasser perhaps?" Gimli looked in the direction of their gaze and found the orange furry thing too.

Aragorn walked up and laughed at the sight of them all gawking at the packs. He looked closer. The pack was moving! An orange tail popped out, followed by a body of orange fur.

"My soul!" Aragorn cried out, chuckling to himself. Much to the watcher's shock, Aragorn walked up and picked the creature up.

"What is that?" Merri, Frodo and Sam said in unison.

"Can we eat it?" Pip added.

"No, my young masters. This is a friend to all: elves, men, dwarves and hobbits alike. It is a cat. They're far and few between now, but they used to be a very popular pet. Now that Gondor is in shambles, nobody can truly care for them. Now they are wild, hunting and scavenging. Most have grown vicious through the years, but some have remained tame and trusting. You have found such." Aragorn pet the cat, and it began to purr. The other's approached it cautiously and pet it too, amazed at its softness that contrasted so harshly with the wild.

The cat, (which was affectionately named Morwen, Jupiter in the common tongue) stayed the night with them. They fed him, pet him and let him curl up with them by the fire.

When the first lights of dawn streaked across the sky, he was gone.


End file.
